Button backing for snap fastener elements



May 20, 1941.. P.' E. FENTON 2,242,352

BUTTON BACKING FOR SNAP FASTENER ELEMENTS y Filed June 15, 195s ATTORNEYS Patented May 20, 194i BUTTON BACKING FORI SNAP FASTENER v ELEMENTS "Paul E. Fenton, Thomaston, Conn., assigner to Scovill Manufacturing Company, Waterbury, Conn., a' corporation of Connecticut Application June 13, 1938Serlal No. 213,311

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in fastener installations, comprising a. snap fastener socket or stud element, ailxed to one of two overlapping .portions of sheet material for cooperation with a coimplemental fastener element, a stud or socket as the case may be, carried by the other of the supporting sheets.

The principal object of the invention is to provide an installation of this character, particularly for application to the upper of the two portions of sheet material, which presents a sufdciently attractive outward appearance to permit its use upon womens dresses or other articles of wearing apparel similarly subject to frequent andcontinued style changes It is another object of the invention to provide such an installation in which a conventional button may be used as a backing member for the snap fastener element,` thereby presenting an attractive, but substantially conventional outward appearance, while obtaining all of the advantages of a mechanical snap fastener installation.

The full nature of the invention, along with other objects and variousfeatures thereof, will be more apparent from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a. sectional view, taken on the line I-I of Fig 2, of a pair of overlapping sheets having a snap fastener installation thereon in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the installation shown in section in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the staple used in attaching the socket element of Fig. 1 to its supporting sheet. i

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a button having four central thread openings which may be used aa a backing for the socket element of Fig. 1 in place unsightly mechanical partappears on its upper surface. The installation should contribute to and not detract from the decorative scheme. It is .evident the attachingcaps ofthe prior art hardly meet this requirement, nor are they available in a suiilcient number of styles and sizes to provide that selection whichv the style designer requires. In order to meet this requirement, I

` utilize a button like backing member and a staple,

fastener member to a supporting sheet in the Referring now to the drawing, I' have shownv in Fig. l, a snap fastener assembly comprising a socket element I0 attached to one, Il, of two overlapping sheets of material for cooperation with a stud member I2, carried by the other, I3.

of the sheets, and illustrating my invention in one of its preferred forms.

VIt may be assumed that the two sheets of material represent the overlapping seam portions of a ladys dress or similar style garment. Since the upper of these sheets, I I, is visible at all times the fastener element, in this instance, the socket, should be attached thereto in such ya way that no the two serving together as an attaching cap for the fastener element I4. In the completed installation the snap fastener element I0 is firmly aixed to the under side of the sheet II for ready and easy cooperation with the complemental stud element, andl the button like` backing member which appears on the upper side ofthe sheet may have decorative qualities enhancing the general appearance of the garment. This makes it possi- -ble for the dress designer to select from existing stock buttons of the style, color and size which lbest -t in with his decorative scheme, and to employ them as parts of the fastener attaching' means. The installation may thus be given an attractive outward appearance which is substantially identical with that of an ordinary buttonv -and buttonhole combination; and the latter eiect l may be enhanced, if desired, by the application of a. small amount of embroidery 31 (Fig. 2) to simulate the ends of a buttonhole.

The installation in Fig. 1 includes a socket constructed` in accordance with my Patent No. 2,106,728, comprising a single piece of sheet metal having a central, circular series of resilient fingers.

I6, each provided at its freefront end with an inturned stud engaging lip- Il, an anvil portion I8, integrally joining the rear ends of the lingers and flaring forwardly and outwardly therefrom with the outermost -portion of its front surface lying in a plane spaced forwardly from the free' ends of the lingers, and` a marginal retaining ring I9 turned rearwardly and inwardly from the outer extremities of the anvil so as to define an annular entrance slot 2D to the ring from the rear side of the element.

In attaching the just described s'ocket to its supporting sheet, I employ a staple 2i of the type shown in Fig. 3. Thus after assembling the socket and the backing member I4 (the button) on opposite sides of the sheet I I, in back to back relation, with the substantially fiat back 22 of the button engaging the front (upper) surface of the sheet and with the rear -ange of the retaining ring of the socket engaging the under side of the sheet, I drive the more or less sharply pointed prongs 23 of the staple through the centrally located thread openings I5 of the button,

' the sheet, the entrance slot 20 of the retainingl ring of the fastener element, and against the rear surface of the yanvil I8 of the element so as to force the ends of the prongs outwardly and clinch If so, then all four of its openings Ila should be covered in order that the front surface of the button will present a conventional appearance. This may conveniently be accomplished by the use of a four pronged staple 2la (Figs. 5 and 6) comprising a single piece of sheet metal withA an X-shaped crown 24a and four pointed prongs 22a projecting rearwardly from the opposite ends of the crown. The attaching operation, in either event. will be the same as that hereinbefore described.

The illustrated buttons are of the kind which are molded from gaily colored plastic material with their front surfaces embodying-ornamental designs. The detail is a matter of style and taste,

but in general character the design should include a central recess surrounding the thread openings. The point is well illustrated in Figs. 1

and 4. It will be noted that each design includes an upstanding rim (25 of Fig. 1, '25aof Fig. 4)

' dening a central recess (26 in the case of Fig. 1,

26a in Fig. 4) within which the thread openings are formed. A design of this character is preferred for it provides a space (the recess 26 or 26a) within which the crown of the staples may lie. protected from injury by contact with outside objects and effectively shielded so that it may not damage such objects by contact with them.

I have shown in Fig. 1, a stud member l2 of the type described in my co-pending application No. 176,189, led November 24, 1937 (now Patent No. 2,131,347, dated September 27, 1938), comprising a central stud post 29 having a contracted neck 30 for cooperation with the resilient ilngers of the socket, and an anvil portion flaring forwardly and outwardly with its margin directed rearwardly and inwardly to dene a retaining ring 3|. This stud is shown applied to its sheet by means of an attaching cap having an annular flange 32 engaging the under side of the supporting sheet I2 and several prongs 33, extending through the sheet and clinched within the retaining ring 3| of the stud member.

I have illustrated the socket member l0 applied 'to the outermost sheet II, and backed by a conventional button. This has been done for illustrative purposes, and nothing more. AAlthoughit is usual to amx the socket to the outer of the overlapping sheets, and: the stud to the lower one, the positions of these parts may be reversed if desired. y

The use of a conventional button as a backing for a snap fastener element greatly enhances the outward appearance of the completed installation as has been said. Thus, the installation retains `all of the chic features of a conventional button and button-hole combination while avoiding all of its disadvantages.` In addition,lthe button serves as a very excellent backing for the fastener, making its attachment to the supporting sheet more secure-it tends to prevent the fastener member from being stripped from the sheet. Moreover, the combination provides the garment manufacturer with a tremendously wide selection of what` amount to attaching caps for the fastener element, and this without involving any additional expense to any of the various parties concerned. The button manufacturer, for example, need only stock his usual assortment of buttons; the fastener manufacturer, only two or three very. simple types of attaching caps along with his usual line of snap fastener elements. If

either makes any changes, the former in the matter of size, shape, color or general design of his buttons, the latter in the mechanical construction of his fastener parts. the other need not be affected to any great degree.'v Thus, each may make constant improvements in his own product Without materially interfering with the activities of the other. The garment manufacturer may, of course, take his choice of buttons selecting them from a style and price viewpoint, and combine them with the snap fastener member which best meets his needs.

Since certain changes maybe made in the construction in the constituent parts of the assembly and in the arrangement thereof without departing from the teachings of the invention, it is intended that the foregoing shall be construed in a descriptive rather than in a limiting sense.

What I claim is:

1. A snap fastener installation comprising a supporting sheet, a-snap fastener element disposed with its rear surface engaging one side of said sheet, a backing member disposed with its part of another fastener element, and a marginal retaining ringV with a .reversely-extending free rea-r edge lying in spaced relation Ito the central part defining an annular entrance slot to the ring from the rear side of the element; and said staple comprising a crown engaging the front surface of the button-like backing member between the openings thereof and a plurality of prongs extending from the crown through the openings of the backing member, the'supporting sheet, and the entrance slot of the fastener element with their free ends disposed within and held by the retaining ring of the element.

2. A snap fastener installation according to claim 1, further characterizedin that said backing member has four openings and in that the staple has four prongs directed rearwardly from the crown through s'uch openings. y

' 3. A snap fastener installation according to claim 1, further characterized in that said button has a central recess in its front face, and in that said thread openings are formed within such recess, whereby the crowni of said staple may lie within' such recess and' be shielded vby surround- 

